Apologies for those of you who follow my Twitter feed, for whom this will prove redundant. But the story needs a broader audience, and since tens of millions of people online remain doggedly insistent on not following me, I’m going to post it here, as well: “U.S. Had Assets That Could Have Saved U.S. SEALs”:
A special operator has come forward to Special Report on Fox News as a whistleblower who says there were multiple assets in the region that could have aided our guys on the ground in Benghazi during the 2nd attack, despite the administration’s denials. Having watched the events unfold that night, he said there was specifically a C110 in Croatia, 3 1/2 hours away that definitely could have been there in time for the 2nd attack.
He also says the ‘unknowns’ reasoning the administration has been using isn’t true either. That if there are unknowns, that’s more reason to get assets in the air to get our guys help or to get them out.
Video available at the link.
So. Anyone surprised? And more importantly, will this force John Boehner and the rest of his flaccid, timorous, risk-averse House leadership kicking and screaming into (reluctantly, and against their persistent flawed political judgment) into calling for a Special Prosecutor?
Or will he continue to run interference for Obama and Hillary, with the hope that by so doing he’ll win negotiating points down the road?
Like, perhaps from the future Madame President Clinton?
(h/t Doug Ross, who has more)
prove
Related, and also pretty much only found on Fox: Obama administration officials threatened whistle-blowers on Benghazi, lawyer says
I figure if Roger Ailes is down with the narrative John Boehner can’t be too far behind, albeit while remaining “a” behind.
Maybe if Ambassador Stevens had been “the first gay basketball player”, instead of just an expendable ambassador, Obama would have had time for him…
I wouldn’t go the Special Prosecutor route myself. Largely because I’m not sure that any laws were actually broken.
What really scared Obama, possible loss of more America life? non- aggressor civilian casualties or inability to tell difference?
I bet if they flew in a few fighter jets and a c-130 gun ship and made a bunch of noise, the crowd would have scattered.
-The longer the “Benghazi evasion show” goes on, the worse its going to be when the truth finally emerges, which it will eventually.
– Much more adept Fascist regimes than the current WH Gestopo have tried this game and lost.
This is just rank speculation, but what if we asked the Libyans for permission to enter their airspace, and they refused? Or, variation on a theme, what if the possibility of the Libyans refusing permission is what had the administration tied in knots?
People break the law by breathing, these days.
Ernst, I think that if the Libyans had anything to do with it we would have heard about it.
“I tried to save our brave men and women, but the Libyans wouldn’t let me“, Preznit Blame. (Think, “But Booooooosh.”)
what if we asked the Libyans for permission to enter their airspace, and they refused?
The president was willing to go as far as a “pretty please” but, drew the red line at “with sugar on top”.
I think that’s the last thing the administration would want getting out.
You couldn’t stand up to the fucking Libyans?
I mean, what are they going to do? Keep not selling their oil to us?
OT, but illustrative:
[…] Jeff Goldstein comments: […]
Probably what happened was a bureaucratic infight over conflicting priorites.
Defense was fuck yeah let’s go!, State was we have to observe the diplomatic nicieties and CIA said nothing, because they were mostly concerned about not drawing any more attention to whatever the hell it was that they were running out of the annex. So, because you can’t lead from behind in the absence of concensus, President Above My Pay Grade went back to watching Sports Center so he could “think about it.”
Just another uneducated guess.
will this force John Boehner and the rest of his flaccid, timorous, risk-averse House leadership kicking and screaming into (reluctantly, and against their persistent flawed political judgment) into calling for a Special Prosecutor?
I like that about you, Jeff: always with the jokes.
eCurmudgeon,
That imaginary place? It’s called Ontario.
a place whose politics have finally caught up with its social and economic realities.
….Where everyone is dependent on the government, and we all live in universal servitude, impoverished but equally so, with universal health care that’s impossible to get. Utopia!
what if we asked the Libyans for permission to enter their airspace, and they refused? Or, variation on a theme, what if the possibility of the Libyans refusing permission is what had the administration tied in knots?
This was, or is, the problem. I think there’s a doctrine vesting the decision power for forced entry into another nation for purposes of the protection or salvation of our own people solely in the hands of the Executive — such that any subordinate taking that decision making power upon themselves would be up for immediate courts martial. Thus, so long as Barry Obazm turns his back on the situation (which he did do, as we all know, despite his prevarication) everyone under him is powerless to act.
More off topic:
First, most of the black people live in the Southern states, so “America” just got a lot whiter.
Second, the Southern states would serve as buffer against immigrants from the southern part of the continent, so extra bonus – it will stay that way.
Now, why are the people proposing this so racist?
Ernst, I woulda gone with France, myself.
France?
Only if you ignore the “youths”, JiF.
I almost went with Quebec.
xtended family leave from work in case of pregnancy or illness. Longer unemployment benefits. In short, a society on a par with most of the rest of the industrialized world—a place whose politics have finally caught up with its social and economic realities.
It’s not nice to point and laugh. Math and logic is really tough for liberal arts majors.
He really sets the strawmen ablaze, doesn’t he?
Man,he’s got us pegged. He’s obviously spent a LOT of time researching non-liberals by watching Steve Colbert and John Stewert.
I give mad props.
First, let’s remember that we’ve heard that Obama was not in contact with anyone while the attack went off and on for 7+ hours. Speculation on whether or not Libya gave permission to enter their airspace assumes Obama went so far as to ask.
The worst part is that our president abandoned 30+ people under fire from terrorists, lasting for hours, apparently without expressing much interest in the options available throughout the event. It’s only because of Woods and Doherty that these rest of them didn’t perish. That alone is frightening.
Shesh, Libby, he had to get up early the next morning. He had to fly to Vegas, Baby, to collect some $$.
Beauty sleep, etc.
Obama was not in contact
This is the “good and hard” part Mencken had in mind.
Lee Siegel writes cartoonish solutions for his own silly cartoon world. He’s like Freytag’s wife in Fahrenheit 451 dressing up and trying to win friends on her slightly interactive TV shows. No sense of perspective, no understanding of consequences; just trying to stay fit, semi-perky, and sedated.
“It’s not nice to point and laugh. Math and logic is really tough for liberal arts majors.”
Math and logic are running dog patriarchal plutocrat chains to bind the minds of the masses in false consciousness.
‘with universal health care that’s impossible to get. Utopia!”
Oh you’ll get something to call health care. Don’t worry. They’ll do like china did and show us how massage, acupuncture, aromatherapy, positive thinking, lots of water, green tea, and powdered unicorn nuts are all just as good as real medicine in most cases.
“People break the law by breathing, these days.”
Soon they won’t respect the law. And they’ll wear hoodies and loose pants on hot days and know people who can get them things.
More like “Fourth Reich.” Or maybe just “Hell.”
Car in – Hillary’s 2008 “3 Am Call” ad sure was prescient, huh? At 3:00am (and possibly starting as early as 9:00pm) Obama is sleeping. DO NOT DISTURB under any circumstances. Priorities: Lavish fundraisers with JayZ always rate higher than nameless, faceless diplomats over in some African country.
Car in – Hillary’s 2008 “3 Am Call” ad sure was prescient, huh?
Yep. we’re focked with him in charge. The reality has far exceeded expectations, so we’ve got that going for us. His Syrian red lines, and now he’s “rethinking options” – boy, that’s got to have people shaking in their boots, huh?
“More like “Fourth Reich.” Or maybe just “Hell.””
Detroitistan
I have no idea what a C110 might be, other than a Logitech Webcam.
I’m guessing they mean a C-130 gunship.
C110 is the designation of a type of emergency response unit, composed of approx. 40 people, I think.
As a Kansas voter, I would like to invite Lee Siegel to give it a try with his needle dick.
Car in says April 30, 2013 at 1:15 pm
Not to mention the wild projection.
Red States would “legislate all the important aspects of civic life”?! Why doesn’t he read his own drivel?! He casually mentions “banning CO2 emissions” as though that would do anything but freeze and heatstroke a bunch of people to death. These are acceptable losses like Mao’s Great Leap Forward I suppose…
his union sounds like seiu
Yeah, I finally am able to watch/listen to the video.
The reality has far exceeded expectations
Not mine. I’m serious. I expected to see some sort of gun registry/confiscation scheme in place before the end of term one, and I can’t believe we got through the first two years without a monster income tax increase with complementary tax code changes to eliminate deductions and make it even worse. I’m even surprised that it took until Benghazi at the end of term 1 to really show he was completely asleep at the wheel of foreign policy.
Obama hates America, but it looks like he doesn’t hate it as much as he loves living the high life as President.
Not mine. I’m serious. I expected to see some sort of gun registry/confiscation scheme in place before the end of term one,
We really haven’t seen the damage that his policies will inflict. This is just the beginning
While some pain is immediately felt, there is often a lag.
And he’s not done with the gun stuff.
Not for lack of trying. It was all set up, then some damn whistle blower blew the whistle.
It’s just another example of President Absentee Landlord in action.
And by that I obviously mean Valerie Jarrett. Obama’s just a rather unconvincing figurehead.
<pedant>
The C-130 is a cargo plane. The gunship is an AC-130.
</pedant>
The difference warranting the added letter is, well, guns.
This way to the great egregious!
e gre gious adj. being or having the appearance of being full of egrets.
Egrets? I’ve had a few…
It’s long seemed to me as though the various AC-130s (H, J, U, W) would make dandy additions to the Israeli arsenal, but to date, they haven’t shown up there so far as I can tell. Even looked for them to be listed in the latest weapons sale, but nope.
…but then again, they’re good with ketchup (sez my wife).
It’s regrettable that egrets are edible.
The attack on the consulate aka “mission” compound started before 4 pm Washington DC time. By 4:30 pm Washington DC time there had been messages sent from the “mission” to both the “annex” and Tripoli, and probably to DC also, that they were under a serious attack by persons armed with automatic weapons and explosives if not heavy weapons.
By 9:00 pm DC time that C110 unit could have been there if someone had given the order to go when the “mission” attack first was known about. At 9:00 pm (DC time) the annex fight was still going on and they had not yet taken any mortar rounds. Those happened after 10:00 pm DC time.
I’ve seen AC-130’s in operation. I’m pretty sure that’s what the wrath of god looks like….
“U.S. Had Assets That Could Have Saved U.S. SEALs”:
And if we didn’t have those assets in the area, then we should have.
If Rand Paul is cool with 24/7 drone availability for potential liquor store robberies, why can’t we use them to protect Americans in cesspool countries no American would ever visit if it weren’t for oil?
Reminds me of when my car was burgled right in front of the door at my old office. Management had plenty of cameras inside the building to watch employees, but nothing to see 10 feet from the outside door.
Re: the “south secede already” rant linked.
Oh yes…. and when reality doesn’t match desire, Mr. Siegal could still blame the icky Southern types for everything that goes wrong.
and when reality doesn’t match desire
I thought we were done with Jason Collins!
AC-130 is a C-130 with an extra vowel and guns.
Also, a targeting system. Which I did some engineering work on.
But there isn’t just one kind of C-130 that is a gunship, there are a whole mess of them, and that mess is getting messier practically as we speak. There is, for example, the KC-130J, whose targeting sensor I also worked on. There is also the MC-130W Dragon Spear. And I’m not even going into the variety of AC-130s that could be called “gunship” but have an extra H or W or J appended to them.
In other words: I know.
So what does Jay Carney’s statement today (to say nothing of his sneer) tell us about the White House view of their case going forward?
It tells us their view is: “Fuck You. We don’t care. We’ll muscle our way out of this crime too. Just try to catch us.”
Shoulda sent the Spooky. Bang, done.
Them Herky birds are damned versatile, ain’t they?
Unlike egrets.
Listen to how Chunck Todd says what’s important about Benghazi is that it enables a change of topic of conversation from Benghazi (which is utterly uninteresting to Chunck Todd) to an incoherent blithering conversation about things that won’t happen in Syria (he doesn’t explicitly mention that there is no US Embassy delegation in Syria, despite the great friendship between Sec. of State Kerry and Bashar Al Assad).
Chunck is a deep thinker where it comes to sweeping the malevolence and incompetence of the ObaZma administration under the rug, above all hiding the dirt. A less curious, less inquisitive consciousness than Chunck’s is hard to imagine.